Heretofore, multi-piece dropper assemblies have been proposed, wherein the pipette is detachably connected to a bulb which, in turn, is detachably connected to a threaded cap which provides a closure for a container on which the dropper assembly is mounted. Multi-piece dropper assemblies have been characterized by certain disadvantages; most notably, the time and expense required to manufacture the assemblies, wherein the components are separately molded and then connected to form the dropper assembly. Also, when in use, the pipette portion can become separated from the bulb portion and/or cap resulting in leakage of fluid between the cap portion and the pipette portion.
To overcome the disadvantages experienced with multi-piece dropper assemblies, the dropper assembly of the present invention has been devised.
The dropper assembly of the present invention comprises, essentially, a pipette portion, integrally molded to a threaded cap portion, and a bulb portion, having a flange integrally connected to the cap by heat swaging a portion of the cap over the flange of the bulb portion. By this construction and arrangement, the bulb portion, cap portion, and pipette portion are integrally connected, thereby preventing the dropper assembly components from being disconnected from each other, whereby leakage of fluid between the cap portion and pipette portion is prevented.